Checkmate
by aviatrix8
Summary: Young Lot learns the finer points of Elibean chess. FE6/7.


Copyright, Aviatrix8, 2009. Fire Emblem and all related characters are property of Nintendo et al., and are used without permission.

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This was inspired by Lance/Lot's supports (which always fascinated me, because of the strategic references to the game itself, within them).

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Fire Emblem 6 fanfic:

"Check Mate"

by Avi

Young Lot had been watching the hermit for some time now.

He was called a hermit because of the hooded cloak he always wore, and was usually seated on a bench, in front of his rundown home. Beside him on the bench, sat a board upon which carved wooden figures were neatly arranged.

Lot guessed it must be a game of some sort, for he noticed that the elders from the village would occasionally sit with the hermit and move the figures around, sometimes for hours at a time.

There wasn't much to do for entertainment in the tiny village, so Lot found the hermit and his game to be a novelty, and would occasionally stop by and watch.

It was while Lot was passing by the hermit's home one day, that it happened; the hermit was finishing up a game with one of the village elders, so the boy paused to observe them for a bit. After the elder had left, the hermit had turned his hooded face towards Lot.

"Hello, son." Lot was surprised to hear that the man's voice was soft and gentle. "Care to join me for a game?" He swept a welcoming hand towards the board.

"I don't know how to play, sir," replied Lot diffidently.

"Then I will be happy to teach you how. Are you busy at the moment?"

Lot shook his head. The hermit then gestured to the empty side of the bench.

"This game is called Chess," said the hermit, as Lot took a seat across from him. "It is taught to knights to teach them something of war, but others play it to test their own wits against each other."

The hermit then began to explain to Lot how chess was played. After he had finished speaking, the boy raised his hand.

"Um, sir? Can you repeat that, please?" asked Lot, looking embarassed. "I can't keep track of how the different pieces move."

The hermit nodded. "Certainly, son," he replied patiently. "Perhaps it would be better if I compared the game to something else... Like an army?" Lot looked uncertain, but nodded.

"Very well, then." The hermit pointed to a row of crossbow-shaped pieces. "These pieces in the front are called the Ballistae. Imagine them as the siege weapons protecting the army behind them."

"Unlike real ballista though, they can only travel one space at a time, and in one direction, but it's still better to lose one of them, rather than one of your soldiers."

The hermit's hand then moved to one of the pieces in the middle of the back row. "The one with the helm, is called the Knight. Because of his heavy armour, he can only move one space at a time."

"The Knight is one of your most important pieces, despite the fact that he moves slowly. Think of him as the general of your army; if he falls, then the game is lost." Lot nodded.

"Next to him, is the Pegasus Knight. Like a real pegasus, they can travel great distances in any direction, as long as there is no one blocking their path." The hermit demonstrated by sliding the winged horsehead across the length of the board.

"Next to them, are the Archers," he said, fingering a pair of pieces that looked like arrowheads. "They move in a diagonal fashion, like so." He demonstrated the motion.

When Lot's brow furrowed, the hermit added, "If you're having trouble remembering how they move, think of them as real archers; since they can't attack something directly in front of them, they have to find a better place to shoot from."

"Like at an angle," said Lot slowly.

"Exactly."

As Lot's eyes lit up in understanding, the hermit went on.

"These ones on the corners are the Swordmasters. Like a Swordmaster, they are your most straight-forward warriors, so they can only attack forwards and backwards, and to their left and their right."

"But what about the Cavaliers?" asked Lot. "Why can they jump over the other pieces in that that strange L-shape that you showed me earlier?"

The hermit chuckled. "I suppose that is a little more difficult to explain, isn't it?" He fingered the horse-headed piece thoughtfully.

"I suppose it's because real cavaliers can move around better than other types of soldiers. Not as well as a pegasus, mind you, but someone on a horse can still travel faster than a soldier on foot. Does that make any sense?"

"I think so," replied Lot. "Thank you for explaining that again, sir. I think I can remember it this time."

"It is no trouble, son," replied the hermit. "Do you think you're ready to start playing, then?"

Lot nodded.

"Very well. But feel free to ask any more questions if you need to." The hermit then pointed to the white pieces in front of Lot. "Now, white always goes first..."

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After that day, Lot made a point of visiting the hermit to play a round of chess, whenever time would allow (which really wasn't very often; between chores, taking care of family, playing with Ward, and spending time with Mary, he really didn't have that much time to spare).

Still, Lot enjoyed the rare moments spent in the company of the hermit; the man had travelled to many places in his youth, and didn't mind talking about them as they played.

Lot was also fascinated to see how the hermit played chess with him, as well as the other villagers. With him, the hermit was forgiving at first, since he was just a mere beginner, but as Lot improved, the hermit would use more challenging plays. If Lot lost, the hermit would point out his mistakes, and ask the boy how he could play better.

With the other villagers, the hermit's skill level varied. He seemed to be able to tell who played for fun, or who wanted a challenge, or know who would be upset if they didn't win occasionally, and who would be insulted if their opponent didn't play their best. When Lot asked the hermit about his odd playstyle, he merely chuckled and said, "It's only a game."

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Years passed. Lot grew older and stronger, and into a teenaged boy. And other things changed too...

So it was with some reluctance that Lot stopped by the hermit's home, one day, with an axe slung over his shoulder.

"Hello, son," greeted the hermit, as he sat in his usual spot behind the chessboard. "Do you have time for a quick game?"

Lot hung his head. "I'm afraid not, sir. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving the village soon." The hermit then looked up at him.

"My friend and I want to earn some extra money to support our families, so we decided to become travelling mercenaries," explained Lot, pointing at the axe over his shoulder.

"But before I leave, sir, I just wanted to let you know that I've enjoyed playing chess with you very much, and that I'm sorry that I won't be able to play with you for a long while." He bowed deeply.

During Lot's little speech, the hermit watched him with his usual, measuring gaze. Then he asked, "Would you mind coming with me for a moment, son? There's something inside that I'd like to show you."

Lot nodded, and then followed the hermit into his home.

Lot had never been inside the man's house before. Like most of the homes in the village, it was as rundown on the inside as it was on the outside, and sparsely furnished... That is, except for the walls.

The walls were covered with dozens and dozens of maps.

They were maps of places that Lot had only heard of: Etruria, Lycia, Bern... As Lot peered at a large map labelled "Elibe", he even found the Western Isles, where his tiny village was located.

He then noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the hermit beckoning to him, and he hurried over.

The man was now standing beside a desk. As Lot came closer, he noticed another map upon the desktop, except this one had grid lines marked all over it. And on top of the map...

It reminded Lot of the pieces arranged on a chessboard, except these ones were much more detailed, and had much more variety: there were Clerics with staves, and Mages with books, and riders on wyverns... Lot even recognized a tiny axeman, like him.

"Is this another game, sir?" asked Lot, as he bent over to take a better look.

The hermit sighed. "No, not quite," he replied. "But I would like you to have one of the figures on the map," he added. "Consider it a going-away present, from me."

Lot stared. The tiny figurines looked like they were cast in sterling silver and bronze, and were probably worth more than anything in the village.

"I can't take any of those," stammered Lot. "It'd break up the set."

The hermit chuckled, and pulled open a drawer beneath the desktop. Lot caught a glimpse of a drawer full of dozens of the little metallic figures.

"As you can see, I have enough to spare," he said, smiling. "So go ahead and choose."

Reluctantly, Lot looked over the pieces on the map. After some careful consideration, he picked up one of the bronze figurines.

"Hmmm, and here I thought you might choose one of the pegasus knights," said the hermit thoughtfully. "Still, I hope my little gift will bring you luck in battle."

"Were you ever in an army, sir?" asked Lot, as he carefully pocketed the tiny bronze figure.

"Oh yes," replied the older man, confirming Lot's suspicion.

"Were you a soldier?"

The hermit shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm just an old war veteran, that's all."

He placed a hand on Lot's shoulder, as they walked to the the door. "I pray to St. Elimine that you will find a commander that will lead you well in battle, as well as care for the safety of his men."

They reached the door, which the hermit opened for the boy. "Take care, son."

Just as Lot was about to leave, he turned to look back at the man.

"Sir... I never did learn your name."

The hermit stared at Lot for a moment. Then, he pushed down the hood covering his head.

Lot was surprised to see that the hermit was a lot younger than he expected; the man looked to be no more than middle-aged. But his brown hair was greying at the temples, and his eyes looked far older than they should, as if they had experienced far too much in one lifetime.

The man then smiled at Lot. "You can call me Mark."

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"Lot? Lot!"

Lot snapped out of his reverie to find himself sitting in camp, with a young man in green armour staring at him in concern.

"Hmmm? Oh sorry, Lance. I was a bit preoccupied, for a while there."

It was then that Lance noticed that Lot was polishing something with a cloth, something that he couldn't quite identify.

"What's that you're cleaning?" he asked curiously.

"Here, take a look." Lot placed something cold and tiny in the other man's hand.

As Lance turned it around on his palm, he realized that it was a small bronze figure of a soldier on horseback; a cavalier. It was even carrying a tiny lance.

Whoever had carved the figure had captured the moment when the cavalier was about to charge: the horse's hooves were in mid-gallop, and the soldier's lance pointed straight forward, as if to pierce the enemy's heart.

In fact, the only flaw Lance found on the figure was a touch of verdigris on it, which he absentmindedly tried to scratch off.

Lot noticed this, and looked embarassed. "I can't keep it as clean as I'd like to..." he mumbled.

"Don't worry. It must be difficult to keep bronze pristine in these conditions," replied Lance sheepishly, as he handed back the figurine to Lot. "The craftmanship is superb, though. Where did you get it?"

Lot smiled slowly. "It was a gift from an old friend." He then stood up, and pocketed the bronze figurine.

"Oh, that reminds me, Lance... You up for another round of chess?"

"Certainly. After you, my friend."

END

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I deduced the names of the pieces in Elibean chess from Lance and Lot's B support; my attempt to figure out which piece is which are just my own guesses, but are hopefully accurate, nonetheless.

Obviously the term "Knight" is not interchangable in both forms of chess (I almost made the King equal Armour Knight, but the correct term in the English translation is Knight, so I left it as that. ;) 


End file.
